Shooter in Colorado gay nightclub attack pleads guilty, gets life in prison

Anderson Lee Aldrich listens as his victim Ashtin Gamblin reads an impact statement after he pleaded guilty to murder and other crimes in a 2022 shooting that killed five people at the Club Q gay nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S. in a still image from courtroom Webex video June 26, 2023. El Paso County Court/Handout via REUTERS

(Reuters) - A 23-year-old was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty on Monday to killing five people in a 2022 mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Anderson Lee Aldrich pleaded guilty in Colorado state court to five first-degree murder counts and 46 attempted murder counts, part of an agreement reached with prosecutors that avoided what could have been a lengthy trial. Aldrich also pleaded no contest to two counts of bias-motivated crimes.